03/25/2013

03/25/2013

            This week has been really awesome, I taught a lesson to our district this past Friday, and everyone was impressed with my courage to do that, being that it’s been only about two months that I’ve been out here and not even the missionaries who have been out here for 6 months want to do that. But my saying is "just go with it" or in French, "faire avec" so I’m happy to take any challenge or calling, no matter how impossible it may seem at the time with my knowledge of this gospel or the language. It’s always just an opportunity to grow, so I’m always thankful!

            Also on Saturday we had our first baptism! For Nicola, he’s a friendly giant, and throughout the whole service he was crying because I’m guessing he was feeling the spirit so strongly. You would all be so surprised of the support the wards and families give here. The chapel was full with members and non-member for his baptism! I think there were actually more people there for his baptism, than there were for church the next day! Also to congratulate him for being the newest member of the ward on Sunday after his confirmation, everyone lines up kind of like at a wedding reception and one by one places a shell necklace around his neck and kisses him once on each cheek. It’s really cool to see the different traditions here and the love everyone has for one another!

            Here another crazy fruit this week, it’s called pomme cannelle, it tastes a lot like mango and you eat it kind of like a pomegranate. Also there is a picture of my tan line, and then one of me sitting on a bridge while Nicola was getting interviewed for his bapteme. And then just a picture from last week’s meeting that I forgot.

            I only have one month left with Elder Joly, and then I will get a new companion. It’s crazy how fast the time flies, it kind of sucks at the same time because you just start to get really close to the person and then you have to change! But by the time my mission is over I will have a lot more friends from all over the world! In our wards there are about 400 people, 200 in each, it’s pretty small here, but it’s really Phuni because each of them pronounce my last name differently! It’s not even that difficult, but they say things like; Fight, Fifi, fy, Fisse, Fiya and feef. I just let them have their phun because it’s really hard to pronounce their last names too haha.

            Anyway, my time is almost up so I will say goodbye now. I love you all so much; I hope you are staying safe! oh and dad, I think I am good on supplies right now, the mission takes care of most of that stuff, But i do have a question, what do you want me to do with my bike after the mission? Bring it home or sell it here? I love you guys so much and can’t wait to hear from you later!

Elder Fyffe

 

03/18/2013

03/18/2013

Sorry I dont have time to write this week because of a meeting we had this morning with a member of the 70 that just finished, but I am alive and well! here are some pictures! guava fruit, an Indian dance that the relief society in one of our wards did for a talent show!! Sunsets and then me with Soeur Green who lives just down the street from us in alpine! Love you guys and will talk to you next week! Stay safe!!!

 

03/11/2013

03/11/2013

           

            I’m glad that you are all living and doing well, thank you for all the pictures, I saved a few and put them on my camera so that I can show the members here. They always like to look at the photos on my camera and tell me that my family is beautiful. That I look a lot like my Mom, that it’s strange how tall and dark I am compared to my Dad, and how pretty my sister is. All the boys ask me to tell my sister that they are single. Its Phuni, just goes to show you that my sisters beauty is universal! Everyone thinks she’s beautiful here in Tahiti!

            This week has been really slow, not a lot of work because there was a death of a member here who had been in bad health for a while now. Like I’ve said before, everyone here is family, when there’s a birthday, the whole world is at the party and when there is a funeral, the whole world and a few other worlds are there to support the family. I love the people here and how much love they have for each other.

            I’m still confused on where people live, everyone is always over at another member’s house, so when Elder Joly leaves and I am left here to fend for myself, I have no idea how I am going to find my way around! I’m thinking there will be a lot of contacting for the first little while haha. Yesterday I was asked to give a lesson in English; holy cow was that hard... I thought that it would be easy for me since that’s my native tongue, but the first words that left my mouth were French... and that happened a lot during the lesson. It’s so hard to speak English! I actually prefer to speak French, even though it’s a lot harder to express my thoughts, and the fact that I don’t know all the vocabulary yet. But I am more comfortable speaking French. It’s really a blessing and a testimony builder each time I notice how difficult it is to speak English!

            Personal revelation has played a huge role in our lessons lately. We had a member present in one of our lessons and she opened the Book of Mormon to a random page and read the first scripture that she saw and it fit the lesson and situation perfectly! It was crazy! I love the miracles that I get to witness each day. I love the change I get to see in the lives of the investigators. I love all of my trials that I get to deal with each day, because I get to become stronger. I love my mission and most of all, my Savior! I love you all more than three languages can express! Je vous aime!

Ua here au ia outou! I love you!

Elder Fyffe

Orometua Fyffe

Here are the photos for the week. Just a few doodles that I have found the time to make, and a cute little boy who found my shoes in the middle of a lesson and hid them. 

03/04/2013

03/04/2013

YO Hey!

            Ya for me this week has passed rather slowly but hey, all in all I have been here for almost 4 months! That has gone by fast! This week was a lot of phun, my French is getting better little by little. It’s really phuni how the mind works. Last night the family we ate dinner with asked me to say the prayer in English because their daughter is going on the Salt Lake City south mission soon. But when I was praying I couldn’t remember how to talk in English! I kept saying French words and the syntax of my sentences were in French too! This language is taking control of my mind! I’m scared to think of how bad it will be at the end of my mission!

            I’m more than half way done with Jesus the Christ, gotta say, I love that book!! It’s so good! I read it almost every day. It’s helping me get a stronger relationship with my savior which is much needed for me because before I didn’t really know him too well other than the atonement and that he performed miracles. But through that book I get a ton of details and I can see with much more depth of how amazing of a person he is! He really is perfect. Every step he took and every word he spoke was on purpose and was all to accomplish his works on earth. It’s amazing to read and learn more and more about him. Thank you Cyndy and Peter Woodman for buying me that book! It’s helped me so much out here; I love you both and miss your amazing family!

            This Sunday was again fast Sunday and a member in the ward bore testimony of Elder Joly and I and how we have changed her life. She was our faatamara for last Tuesday. She chose that date because it was her daughter’s birthday! There was another reason why she chose that date, because her husband has never allowed the missionaries to visit him. Whenever she set up a date for the missionaries to come, he always found an excuse to not be there. But this time he had no excuse, it was his daughter’s birthday! So after the dinner Elder Joly and I shared a lesson about eternal families and then bore testimony and left. But the next day she told us that after we left he talked to her more about the lesson and said that he really liked it! So for her a door of opportunity was opened, thanks to the missionaries. It may not seem like much right now, but it’s a beginning, and for her it means the world. At least that is what she said in her testimony!       One other thing that is awesome this week is that I finally ate dog!! It was good but definitely a unique flavor. Kind of like chicken mixed with pork.... But other than those little stories I don’t have much else to say this week! The pictures that I have are of the lucky coin that I always have with me thanks to Austin! And a marriage that Elder Joly and I went to this past Friday. It was really pretty, and all the greenery was picked right in the back yard of their house! It’s raining really hard right now and I have to use the restroom... Add the two together and you get one big GOODBYE from Elder Fyffe! I love you all so much! Stay safe and stay strong!

Orometua Fyffe